Katniss and Gale--Star-Crossed Lovers of District Twelve
by camichameleon1
Summary: Basically, Gale volunteers for Peeta. So, yeah. Sorry, I stink at summaries, but I think you can get the idea. If you've read, like, the first half of the HGs, then you shouldn't be confused reading this. Also, go read the other half. It's good. Rated K because I'm still a tween, so . . . yeah. Just read, this, okay? The chapters aren't too long.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, everyone! I'm Cami, and welcome to my fourth fanfiction. (Just so u know, fanfics 1-3 aren't complete).**

 **I hope you'll like this. It's an idea I might not like myself, so . . .**

 **Okay, so I know this idea has been done a hundred times, but this is basically just Gale volunteers instead of Peeta. This is interesting because I believe that Katniss didn't just choose Peeta from their experiences together. She chose him because they were perfect for each other. So let's see what would happen if Katniss and Gale were the star-crossed lovers of District Twelve.**

 **Just so you know, I ship Everlark, not . . . Kale(?). But we'll have to see where this goes.**

 **SPOILER ALERT! Read the Hunger Games. Now! Or, read this. Whichever.**

 **Welcome, my new readers, to Panem!**

Effie reads out the next name.

"Peeta Mellark!" She says, and I barely have time to register the name, recognize it, before Gale steps forward.

"I volunteer!" He says. I gasp. No, no, he can't, he can't volunteer! Prim needs him! And his family, what will they do?

He steps up bravely, and I glare at him, holding back tears. We shake hands, and I whisper "Gale, how could you?" to him and then he's biting his lip and we are taken away before I even register that the mayor has read his speech.

I wait in the fancy room. I can't believe Gale would betray me like that. We agreed long ago that should one of us get reaped, the other is to take care of their family. That's the deal. But now Gale's gone and volunteered for a boy he didn't know.

 _I know him_ , I think. It happened long ago. I was starving, he threw me bread. But now I can't help feeling guilty every time I see him, for not thanking him, or returning the favor.

Prim and my mother come in and I'm hugging them and reassuring them, but then I start talking very fast, because we don't have much time. I'm telling them how to get food. Gale and I won't be there to bring meat. I've showed Prim how to hunt a few times, but it didn't work out. She can gather, though, so I tell her the plants she will need to get from the woods, the ones she can get from around the Meadow. I tell my mother not to sign Prim up for tesserae more than once a year. They can survive, if they're careful. All I can hope is that people love Prim enough to keep her alive.

I turn to my mother. "You have to get a job." I tell her firmly. She looks up at me in shock. "Do you understand?" I ask her. She nods.

"If you don't, Prim will be sent away." My mother nods and hugs me.

I stroke Prim's hair, reciting "I love you" to both of them until the Peacekeepers come.

"Katniss!" Prim calls out. "You have to try to win!" But I don't answer because Gale will be there with me and if I win, that means he will die.

The baker comes in next. I wasn't expecting him. He is Peeta Mellark's father.

He wordlessly hands me a bag. I look inside. It is full of cookies. I wish I could give them to Prim. She needs them much more than me.

When the baker promises to keep Prim alive, feed her, I finally relax. Then he leaves.

Madge comes in.

"Hi, Katniss," she says. I nod to her.

"Where's your pin?" I wonder, noting the absence on her dress.

She shrugs. "Gave it to Gale." She says. I raise my eyebrows. I didn't realize Madge and Gale were close.

Madge is the second to promise to keep Prim eating. I'm grateful, because dandelions and blackberries aren't much to live off of. She rises, ready to leave, then stops. She pulls off her white hairband.

"Will you wear this as your district token?" She asks. "I just want you to have something." I smile, something I haven't done since the reaping.

"Of course," I say. "Thanks." I slide on the hairband. Madge leaves.

My final surprise is when Peeta comes. I barely know his name, but he comes to me to say goodbye?

"Hi Katniss." He says. "I'm Peeta. Peeta Mellark. I just wanted to thank you. Your friend ... He likely just saved my life. So, thanks." I nod. Before he leaves, I struggle with the words on my tongue.

"Peeta, you saved my life that day. With the bread. I- um, thank you. Too." He nods, grins sadly, and leaves.

I wipe away a stray tear and prepare to go to the train station.

 **So . . . .what did you think?**

 **If I get one review, follow, or favorite on this, I will post Chapter 2. Thanks for reading this sentence.**

 **Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys and gals! Here's chapter 2, as requested. Please let me know if you like it (or if you don't), and I will keep posting.**

I avoid cameras on my way to the train station, not wanting them to see my puffy eyes. I have to look strong, so people will sponsor me.

Gale and I stand in the train, looking at each other. We are riding off to our deaths, leaving our families without a way of getting food. Rory sort of can hunt, and Prim sort of can gather, but it's not enough, even with our mothers working day and night. It's not enough without the baker's promise, and Madge's, to keep my families eating. I realize that both must have stopped by to say goodbye to Gale, too. The baker for saving his son, and Madge to give him the pin.

"So where's Haymitch?" I ask Gale. He will be our mentor in the Games and our only hope of survival.

Gale ignores this. "Katniss, we can win." He says, convinced. "We know how to hunt. Get ourselves bows, and they'll all be dead."

"We can't both win, Gale," I say. "One of us would have to die."

"Well, odds are that one of us will." He says gruffly. I look away, not wanting to think about that.

My quarters are larger than my house back home. It has a large bedroom, a walk-in closet, and a personal bathroom. I take a warm shower. It's like a summer rain. Relaxing.

I step onto a mat that dries my body. Then I place my hand on a box that dries and smoothes my hair.

There is a whole dresser full of clothes just for me. I wear a simple green shirt and pants, mostly because it would be a desirable outfit to be wearing in the woods. I have to remind myself that my hunting days are over. _At least until I get into the arena_ , I remind myself.

Effie Trinket is at dinner, and so is Gale, but Haymitch is nowhere to be found. He's probably drunk and passed out somewhere.

"I take it you two know each other?" Effie asks to break the silence.

I don't know how Effie figured this out, but I nod. She looks uncomfortable with our unwillingness to talk. But we are not safe here, so Gale can't go on a rant against the Capitol, though I'm sure he'd like to.

Finally Haymitch stumbles in, drunk, as I expected. He orders wine, but when he goes to drink it, I grab a knife and hit the table with it, narrowly missing two of his fingers. Gale lashes out and hits the glass out of his hand.

Haymitch looks us over. "Well, well," he says. "Did I actually get a pair of fighters this year?"

"Can you hit anything with that knife besides a table?" He asks me. I pick it up and throw it at the wall. It lodges between two panels, making me look a bit better than I am.

"Hmm..." Haymitch says. "I'll make you a deal. You don't interfere with my drinking, and I'll stay sober enough to help you."

It's not much, but it's better than we had five minutes ago, so Gale and I agree. Effie seems quite shaken by this, and she gets up and leaves.

That's probably about when we made it to the Capitol. The view was breathtaking. There were bright buildings and shimmering streets everywhere you looked. I absolutely hated it. I couldn't believe that, while people starved to death on an everyday basis in Twelve, the Capitol could afford . . . whatever they wanted. I found myself glaring at the people we passed. One glance at Gale told me he was mad too. We glared at the crowds of people until they disappeared.

Soon, I found myself turned over to my stylist. I didn't even have time to worry about my costume for the chariot ride before I was dressed in it. It was a tight black thing with a cape and flowing headdress. It seemed a little weird, but Haymitch told us not to protest, so I didn't.

We mounted the chariot and I was just wondering how exactly our costumes made us look like coal miners when my stylist, Cinna, lit us on fire.

 **I think just the presence of Gale with her instead of Peeta is going to make Katniss behave completely differently, don't you? It also makes for a more interesting story, so I don't have to just copy and paste from the book.**

 **So let me know what you think. Also, a little thing:**

 **The following tributes are not named or significant at all in the books:**

 **Both from 3 and 4, the boy from 5, the girl from 6, and both from 7, 8, 9, and 10.**

 **If you would like me to make one of these characters important, then PM me with a description of the character you would like me to insert. Please keep in mind their origin and how that might affect their personality. Give me as much information as you can. If I like it, I'll put the character in the story.**

 **Thanks a lot for reading this sentence, and thanks to those who had the good nature enough to say "hi" to me in the reviews. If you want Chapter 3, just ask.**


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